At the WBC, speed tasting while blogging, 2008 Maycas del Limari 100% Chardonnay, 10 month French Oak MT from Chile, 8 miles from coast, breezy desert. Hints of vanilla from the oak, wonderful mouth feel, lingering finish. Average retail $18 – $22. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah do well in the region. I would buy this.
12 wines to taste in one hour, in Charlottesville, VA for the Wine Bloggers Conference. Wine 2 about to arrive. Keswick 2010 Verdejo from Monticello, VA. No oak. Only 219 cases produced. Bright nose, coats the tongue, long, long finish, $17.95 retail. Bright acids, would be very food friendly. Another one I would buy in a heartbeat.
#3, Taara Vineyards 70%Viognier/30%Chardonnay blend, 2009 Neveah White. Loved this at the winery and my opinion hasn’t changed. Winemaker Jordan Harris is passionate about wine. Neveah is heaven spelled backwards. A bit pricey at $30, but a sensational wine.
Wine #4… 2009 Act Twelve of 1619 Chardonnay from Williamsburg Winery. 5 years in a row Decanters top 400 Wines of the World list. stainless and oak, French and Hungarian. Burgundy style Chardonnay. Sells for $14, this is well worth the money. Nothing spectacular, but I enjoyed it.
“It’s Rosé time!” 2010 Cornerstone Cellars Stepping Stone Rosé from Syrah. $18, designed as a rosé from the get go, not a saignee. 100% Syrah from Oak Knoll district. Our 5th wine is pressed for two hours before the skins are removed. Fermented in stainless steel for about 3 months. Nice nose, pretty good wine, but i think there are better ones for the money.
Almost halfway through, Emma Pearl Central Coast 2009 Chardonnay is 30% new oak. Winemaker Nova Cadamatre looks at oak as a spice rack and it shows. If you like buttery Chards, you’ll love this one. I do. $17.95 – it’s a no brainer. Love it!
It looks like we’re going to taste a box wine. Number 7 is an ’09 Mendocino Chardonnay from CalNaturale. It’s made with organically grown grapes. New winery, just launched last year. 750 ml box, which I’ve never seen before. Again, nothin g to shout about, but for $12.99, I’d consider it.
Our eighth wine comes in pouch, The Climber, n/v Chardonnay from Clif Family Winery. Fruit is sourced from various vineyards throughout California including Napa and the Central Coast. 1.5 liter sells for $17.95. A little rough on entry, but it smooths out to a nice finish. Awkward to pour.
2009 Clos Pegase Chardonnay, aged 8 months on 34% new oak. Stellar mouth feel. I love this right off the bat. The finish disappoints a bit. $22 is a good price for this wine.
100% Pinot Gris from Oregon, sur lees aged for 8 months. King Estate in the Willamette Valley near Eugene. Very nice nose, great mouth feel, fruit forward. Beautifully balanced, long finished, one I would definitely pay $25 for, and that’s what it sells for. Nine down, three to go!
My count must be off, they just announced 10 down, two to go. Sparkling wine time. Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Methode Champenoise blanc de Noirs, aged 18 months, n/v, 90% Pinot Noir/10% Chardonnay, considered brut. Very small bubbles, slight pink tint. A really solid, nearly elegant bubbly for about $20.
Last wine is a Seyval Blanc from Barren Ridge Winery in Fisherville, VA. I think this is a grape you need to develop a palate for. It sells for $15, I’d like to try it again without time constraints.